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Research information:

Critical periods of development are marked by important physiological and neural changes. These changes shape behavior and set the stage for the vulnerability of diseases in adulthood. Exposure to stressors during these critical periods can have profound long-lasting effects on brain function and can increase the risk of psychopathology later in life. While it is possible to reduce exposure to certain environmental stressors, other stressors, such as sickness, are almost unavoidable. My research interests are to investigate the neurochemical mechanisms through which immune challenge and hormones during the prenatal and pubertal periods alter behavior. The behavioral outcomes that I am examining are social behaviors, depression and cognition. I use small rodents, such as laboratory mice and rats, to gain mechanistic insight into these questions.